Ada Pennsylvania Station and Railroad Park
Also known as: Ada Depot
Why it's listed
Ada's railroad depot is a 76-by-26-foot, two-story white pine building on a sandstone foundation, completed in December 1887 by the Pennsylvania Railroad. Its Stick style design, with a track-side canopy, stained glass windows and two brick fireplaces inside, sets it apart from the brick Italianate business buildings of the town. Beside it lies Railroad Park, about one acre, where a Civil War siege gun was dedicated in 1902 as a soldiers' memorial. The station sits at the center of town and brought in politicians, speakers and university visitors, including President Taft in 1910. The village bought the park and station in 1958 to prevent demolition and sale. A 1941 caboose, added in 1994, is counted as non-contributing. The station was listed for its role in local transportation history and as one of Ohio's few surviving wooden Stick Style depots. Restoration began in the late 1990s, and a model railroad club occupies the upper floor.
Significance in brief: The station and park served for nearly half a century as Ada's link to the outside world and as a community gathering place. The station is one of the few Stick Style wooden depots still preserved in Ohio and has a distinctive, fanciful design for a small town. The park holds a 1902 Civil War memorial cannon and kept its historic open configuration.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 98001014, listed August 7, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 112 E. Cntral Ave., Ada |
|---|---|
| County | Hardin County |
| Listed | August 7, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98001014 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1887-1948 |
| Architect / builder | Pennsylvania Railroad |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Stick |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Since February 1997 the station has been vacant except for the second-floor model railroad club; a restoration campaign has added a new roof, furnace and cooling system, and a prime coat of paint. |
| Acreage | 1.1 |
| Coordinates | 40.77053, -83.82221 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 98001014.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4678287
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.